"Taking Care of Business"
September 19, 2010
The 17th Sunday after Pentecost
Rev. Barry W. Szymanski, J.D.

SERMON – PART ONE

I want to modify the order of the sermon this morning. The traditional order is Gospel, or other scripture reading first, followed by the sermon. There is another method, and that is an introduction to the scripture reading, so that you will be prepared for the reading, followed by the remainder of the sermon. This alternate method is used when a scripture reading is difficult to understand, or, as today, when there is a shorter service.

As we begin, I want to raise three points: The first is what does Jesus do when he wants to make a 'teaching moment', and, second, a bit of insight into how a scheming person works.

So, first, what is a teaching moment? Educators will be able to answer this better than I, but Jesus used teaching moments for - education, - change of a person's thought pattern – that is, a modification of a person's thought construct. - a change of attitude, - a change of heart. Since even one of these changes may not occur within a person at the time that Jesus told his story, we could be sure that through the use of story telling, it would be easier for a person to remember a story, rather than an abstract thought. We have learned that stories are remembered long after facts are forgotten. We remember movies and plays, TV shows and novels, but we cannot remember lectures.

You know the story of the Tortoise and the Hare--- the rabbit and the slow, but steady moving turtle! Yet you cannot remember the periodic table of elements. The recall to stories is easier for us. So, the first point is that Jesus wanted his disciples to remember the story he told which we will soon visit.

The second matter I want to raise is this: What does it mean to be scheming? We like characters in movies when they are devious. Steve Martin played a calculating con man in the movie Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. His plan was to bilk an heiress out of a fortune, only to find out that she was more conniving than he was! Oceans Eleven is another movie full of wily people. George Clooney leads 10 accomplices, using one underhanded trick after another to rob Las Vegas casinos. There are so many stories of con men who plan to bilk, rob, and steal diamonds, money, or paintings. What are some of the traits of these scheming or shrewd people? Let's look at Steve Martin's character, Freddy: First, his ambition totally consumes him. Every thought that occupied his mind was focused on his objective. Every interest that he had, had a target. Freddy was totally involved in only one purpose. Steve Martin's Freddy's every dream and desire was focused on what he wanted – the fortunes of rich women!

In the Gospel today we learn how a manager of an estate was shrewd in protecting himself financially. I don't believe that the word shrewd is negative – and I don't think that Jesus used the word shrewd in the story he told in a negative context – more about that later.

The third point is that, in this story, Jesus distinguishes between children of light, and children of this age. That is: people who live with faith in God, and live in hope, versus people who live only for what is in this world – and no more. There is yet one more piece to look for: there is a bit of sarcasm in one line that Jesus said. See if you can pick it up!!! So, I invite you to follow along in your pew Bibles, at page 953, at Luke chapter 16, starting at verse 1, which some editor labeled,

The Parable of the Dishonest Manager

THE GOSPEL

"Then Jesus said to the disciples, ‘There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property.

So he summoned him and said to him, “What is this that I hear about you? Give me an account of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.” Then the manager said to himself, “What will I do, now that my master is taking the position away from me?

I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.” So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he asked the first, “How much do you owe my master?” He answered, “A hundred jugs of olive oil.”

He said to him, “Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.” Then he asked another, “And how much do you owe?” He replied, “A hundred containers of wheat.” He said to him, “Take your bill and make it eighty.” And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. [Jesus continued:]

And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes. [Jesus continued:] ‘Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?

And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.’ Luke 16:1-13 [NRSV]

SO ENDS THE READING.

SERMON PART TWO

So, there you have it. A most interesting story. The manager had been taking advantage of his position. Does embezzlement sound right to you? So the rich man requires an audit. His intent is to fire the manger – and possibly to put him in jail. I love the picture painted of the manager! He self-describes himself as a man without muscle – he says to himself that: "I'm not strong enough for a laboring job." And the manager knows his character, for he tells himself that he is too proud to beg. So he starts to scheme. His ambition to stay off the streets totally consumes him. Every thought that the manager has for self-financial preservation occupies his mind. He is focused on only one objective: to stay off the streets. His only interest is to come out on top. His purpose, his dream and his sole desire is to have friends who will take care of him. What has this scheming manager been doing for years? Fraud. What does he know best? How to appropriate funds!

Therefore, he is, according to Jesus, conniving enough to further misuse his fiduciary position. Without a job he will be on the streets – so the manager wants to insure that he has friends – friends who will owe him in the future! You heard the story told by Jesus: The manager drastically lowers the amount of money that each person owed to his master. The result is that all of those people became indebted to the manager. Then came the surprise in Jesus' story: The master praised the crooked manager! Why?

Because the master saw how devious the manager was – he knew how to look after himself – and get what he wants. Jesus then pointed out, in his teaching moment, that streetwise people are often smarter than law-abiding citizens. Streetwise people are on constant alert, looking for angles, surviving by their wits, cunning in how they approach life.

I believe that Jesus told this story because he wants us to be as sharp as the manager but not in the same illegal way! We are to be as quick — but not for what is wrong, but for what is right. We are to use every tool, for creative survival. Jesus is telling us to concentrate our attention on the essentials. To use our common sense. To bring our worldly lives into church – into the good news of the Gospel – to use what we know to further God's will.

I think that what Jesus was addressing, in his teaching moment, was for us not to live complacently. Jesus wants us to have the Gospel, * take over our personality just as the shrewd manager's intent o stay off the streets took over his personality! to have the Gospel * occupy our every thought - just as it did to the scheming manager! * to be involved in the Gospel - just as the conniving manger was involved in his financial life! * for us to show thought - just as the devious manager formed his plan!

Where do I think there may be a bit of sarcasm? I find it in the statement, according to this Bible translation, when Jesus turned, and I am seeing him wink and nod, to his listeners, and says: "I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the '…eternal…' homes."

Jesus was mocking those who obtained their wealth dishonestly and made friends with that money; and Jesus' point was, let THOSE FRIENDS bring you into heaven! The irony is simple: those friends cannot take you to heaven. Jesus was teaching that God, our father, will not accept dishonest wealth, and therefore, for your living honestly, only God has the power to welcome you into his eternal home. What do I think Jesus wanted his listeners, then AND NOW to remember and conclude from this story?

You listened to this story, and, therefore, most importantly, you can make you own conclusions. These are my conclusions: We are to work in God's Kingdom just as the conniving do in the world. We are to be as scheming in all that we do as the manager in that story was – We are to use our common sense to further God's Kingdom – We are not to be complacent – We are to be candid with God --- and with each other – just as the manager was totally candid in his financial relationships.

Why do I think Jesus thought of and told this story? Because he saw the nonchalance, the indifference, the lack of concern, of so many around him. Jesus is crying out for his followers to have the passionate interest, ardent awareness of God, and fervent immersion into God's Kingdom, that the shrewd people do in this world. In short, Jesus is asking us to take care of business, just as the shrewd manager took care of business! But to do so honestly!!!

So that we, the listeners to this story, would not miss his point, Jesus concluded by giving us some maxims: * if we are honest in small things, we will be honest in big things; If we are a crook in small things, we will be a crook in big things. Jesus ended by telling us that no worker can serve two bosses: He'll either hate the first and love the second Or adore the first and despise the second. Jesus concluded by stating that a person cannot serve both God and wealth.

That was the problem with the manager in the Gospel story: the manager was squandering the rich man's money. Jesus first point is clear: either you owe your allegiance to the master – or to your being consumed by money; and his second point is also clear: you, here today, this morning, in this church, are to be as shrewd as the manager – not for wealth which passes away, but to serve God now, and for a true eternal home!